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New Yorkers Should Be on the Lookout for Facebook Killer, Officials Say

By Aidan Gardiner | April 17, 2017 11:30am
 Steve Stephens may have fled to New York after fatally shooting a man in Cleveland, police there said.
Steve Stephens may have fled to New York after fatally shooting a man in Cleveland, police there said.
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Cleveland Division of Police

NEW YORK CITY — New Yorkers should be on the lookout for the suspect who fled after fatally shooting a 74-year-old man in Cleveland and broadcasting the killing on Facebook Sunday, officials said.

Steve Stephens, 37, drove up alongside Robert Godwin and asked him to say someone's name before pulling out a gun and shooting him, according to local officials and The New York Times.

He then uploaded video of the murder to Facebook that was later removed, the Times reported. Stephens reportedly  uploaded another video claiming he had killed 15 other people, but officials said they couldn't confirm those deaths.

Stephens, who's been described as "armed and dangerous," fled and hadn't been arrested as of Monday morning, officials said.

"All federal state and local partners are working side by side to do everything humanly possible to find Mr. Stephens," said Steve Anthony, of the FBI's Cleveland office.

"Quite frankly, at this point, he could be a lot of places. He could be nearby. He could be far away and anywhere in between," Anthony said Monday morning.

Investigators didn't know where he was, but said people should be on the lookout in New York, Pennsylvania, Indiana and Michigan.

Stephens could be wearing a gray or black striped polo shirt and driving a white Ford Fusion with temporary tags, officials said.

Investigators briefly spoke to Stephens on his cellphone, but haven't been able to reach him since.

At a press conference Monday morning, reporters asked Cleveland police about a report that Stephens had been tracked to Erie, Pennsylvania, but Chief Calvin Williams wouldn't confirm that information.

"We don't know his location, so we're asking people in the neighboring states, if you see that vehicle, give us a call," Williams said.

Officials told the public to dial 911 or 1(800)Call-FBI with any information.